The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1887-08-05
The Rings IN Trees.

Lumber Word.
Every day some pet theory, long
held aud honestly venerated, is be-
ing demolished aud sent to the Inn.
DO of myth with Tells apple, Wash.
lnslUn's cherry tree and other old
acquaiGtances. Now the age rims
IN trees has to suffer limbonization.
it the world my be allowed. Mr..
Il w. Furra9, an agent of the Uni
ted States Forestry Department,
who has given much attention to
the age OF tree as indicated by
rings, as well as TO the period at
which trees OF d fferent species stop
growing and that at which the wood
is at its best, has reached some con.
clusions of general interest. He
says:
''Concentric or annual rings,
which we're once accepted as good
legal evidence, fail, except where
climate, soil, temperature, humidi-
ty, and all other surroundings are
regular aud well balanced. Other
wise they are mere guesswork. The
only region within my knowledge
where either rings or measurements
were reliable indications are iu the
secluded, even and regularly tenn
pered valleys OF the Southern Pa
citic coast.'
Annual measurements Of white
elm, catalpa, soft maple, sycamore,
pig hickory, cottonwood, chestnut,
box elder, honey locust, coffee tree,
burr aud white oak, black walnut.
Usage, orange, white pine, red cedar,
mulberry aud yellow willow, (19
Species,) made in southeastern Ne
bIaska, show that 1'aunual growth
is very irregular, sometimes scarce
~ perceptlOle and again quite
large" aud this he attributes TO The
difference in season. AS trees in-
crease in age, inner rings decrease
III size, sometimes almost GiSap.
pearlng. Diminished rate OF growth
after IA certain age is a rule. OF four
great beecbes mentioned by Lou
don there were three, each about
IL feet in gir b, whose ages were
respectfully go, 102 and 200 years.
Mr.. Furras found II rings in black
locust 6 years old, 81 rings in
shellbark hickory of ~ years, 10
rings IN pig hickory of6 years, IL
rings IN wild crab apple of 8 years
aud only 20 rings in IA chestnut oak
of "a years. Au American chestnut
of only four years had nine rings,
while peach Of years bad only |
D rings.
DIR. a. NJ. ChildS. a resident of |
Nebraska from 1854, careful oh.
server for the Smithsonian lnstilu,
tion, who counted rings on some
soft naples IL years two months
old, found on one side of the heart |
of one OF them 40 rings and not less
than 30 anywhere, which were quite |
distinct when the wood was green, |
but after it had been seasoned only |
"a rings could be distinguished. |
Another expert says that all our
Northern hard woods make many |
rings year, sometimes as many as |
II, but as the last set of cells in a
years growth are very small and
lhe first very large the annual
growth can always be determined,
except when from local causes there
is any particular year little or no
cell growth. This may give large
number on one side. Upon the
Pacific coast of North America
trees do not reach the point where
they stop growing nearly as early
as these OF the Atlantic coast. Two
Years is nearly the greatest ,
age attained on the eastern side of !
the continent by trees that retain
their vigor, while 500 years in the !
case of several species on the
western coast, aud one writer is :
confident that sequOla which was :
measured was not less than 2,376 \
ears old. At Wrangel, latitude !,
go 60 Western hemIOck, 6 feet !.
u diameter at the stump, was 4 feet !,
u diameter 142 feet further up tue =
runk, aud its rings showed 432 y
ears. But in the Old Bartram
Harden, near Philadelphia, not more G
han $50 years old, almost all the v
rees are on the down grade. Tue IS
luercuS Ro5ar, England's pride G
hich at home is said to live 1000 Ia
ears, has grown to full size and .,
led in this garden, and the foreign q
pruces are following suit. Silver g
RS planted in 1900 are decaying. =,
his great difference in the lOngev. n
s OF trees upon the western aud :,
asteTn coasts of continents in the n
TOrthern Hemisphere seems TO be .s
ue to the warm, moist air carried ..
Y strong aud permanent ocean u
lrrents, from the tropics north @
asterly, in both the Pacific aud 7
.tlautic oceans, which make the h,
Innate both moist aud .equable 10 L,
igh latitudes. In Sitka, latitude "
70, as much rs 100 inches of rain fo
ave fallen in year, and the har in
Or is rarely Frozen enough TO hiu- a,
er the passage OF boats. In some cr
inters scarcely any ice is seen. m
IL uas midnight and AN fmnas- q,